Four gusts of wind

So, let's start slowly at the beginning of the story.

On that day, the sun was very poisonous, so that the crops were hiding at home and fanning the wind with fans, and they did not dare to go out. Under the scorching sun, a familiar old man walked from the entrance of the village, about sixty or seventy years old. He hung a coarse cloth bag behind his back, held a stick in one hand, and picked up a towel hanging from his shoulder in the other hand to wipe his sweat as he walked. Huge beads of sweat ran across his cheeks, wetting his clothes and making the old man look slightly embarrassed.

He had forgotten what the old man looked like, and when he saw the old man approaching, he only felt familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it. However, the elder brother on the side suddenly changed his previous depression, and ran towards the old man with a smile, shouting as he ran.

Grandpa!

Grandpa!

Hearing his brother's shout, he suddenly remembered the identity of the old man who came over, and suddenly understood that his brother was going back. During this period of getting along, he has become accustomed to having his brother by his side, and he can't help but feel a little sad when he thinks of his brother going back.

"Hey. "

The old man swept away the tiredness on his face, and half-squatted down with a kind smile on his face, and opened his hands. The elder brother threw himself into the old man's arms, buried his head deep in the old man's shoulder, and then began to sob, under the scorching sun, I don't know whether it was sweat or the brother's tears soaked the old man's shoulders.

He stood in place, staring blankly at the scene in front of him, and for a moment, he suddenly understood that his brother had never belonged here, so his brother would definitely leave, just today. Thinking of this, a strange feeling gradually emerged in his mind, like no matter how far he traveled in the future, he would definitely find an opportunity to return to his grandmother's house. He didn't understand that this feeling was called belonging, a magical power that could imprison people forever in one place, and voluntarily imprisoned. It's just that this feeling has a period, and it is different at different times and places, just like he feels that he will never leave his grandmother's house at this moment, and he feels that he will never leave home one day in the future.

Grandpa got up and took his brother's hand and walked slowly. At the same time, my grandmother heard the movement outside and came out to check, and then said excitedly.

"Oh, in-laws, you said you wouldn't notice when you came. It must be tiring to walk so far on such a hot day, so come in and sit. "

Grandma walked up to him as she spoke, and patted him lightly on the head.

"What are you doing standing stupidly, I don't know my grandfather anymore." "

He clasped his fingers on the seams of his trousers and called out softly to Grandpa in a childish and trembling tone.

The old man still responded with a kind smile on his face, just like when his brother shouted just now. The old man walked to him, he was a little scared, and wanted to hide behind his grandmother, but his grandmother was a short distance away from him, and if he really hid behind his grandmother, he knew that he would be scolded, so he had to wait for the old man to get closer. The old man walked up to him, still half-squatting down as before, but this time he didn't open his hands, perhaps because he knew that he would not meet him like his brother, or because the old man was holding his brother with his other hand. I saw the old man stretch out his hand and stroke his head, and he clearly felt that it was a hand that was rougher than his grandmother's hand, which made him feel a little uncomfortable. But it was a little surprising to him that a rough hand could no longer be rough, and when it stroked his head, it was as gentle as his grandmother.

"In-laws, it's hot outside, let's go in and talk." "

As she spoke, Grandma took her brother and his hand and led him into the house. The old man answered, and followed him unhurriedly.

As soon as he entered the house, his grandmother beckoned him to pour a glass of water for the old man, and just as he was about to go, his brother rushed ahead of him, took his hand and said that he wanted to go with him, and then he was dragged by his brother to the kitchen. The old man and grandmother couldn't help but laugh behind them when they saw this. The first time he saw his brother, the feeling that his brother didn't belong here, and that he would have to leave sooner or later became even stronger.

Seeing him enter the kitchen, Grandma turned her head and asked with reluctance in her eyes.

"In-laws, Mao is going to be brought back together this time, right?"

Grandpa nodded and picked up the towel hanging on his shoulder, his face was full of the marks of the times at this moment, if anyone wanted to know what the times were like, just look at his face, and the times would appear in front of him.

"Mao always has to go home, he and Jun will go to school in a few years, and they will go to school first to get acquainted with their peers at home, and then they will have a few more companions on the way to school." Grandpa looked around, and then asked, "By the way, what about my father-in-law and the fourth child?"

"He's still working in the fields." "

Grandma kept fanning and fanning, and suddenly remembered something and hurriedly got up.

"In-laws, look at my memory, wait for me to get you a fan to fan the wind, it's weirdly hot this day." "

These fans that my grandmother took were all given by the merchants who advertised when they were in the market, that is, simple cardboard to make fan blades and a little plastic to make handles, and the fan blades were full of advertisements. However, it is these fans full of advertisements that have been the tools of many farmers to escape the heat in those years.

The elder brother happily picked up the water scoop placed on the lid of the water tank, pushed open the thick wooden lid with his immature hand, scooped out half a scoop of water, and then gently closed the wooden lid. The appearance on my brother's face has never appeared since the day I came to my grandmother's house.

He stood behind his brother and gently tugged at his coat, but he didn't notice it at all, and turned around and wanted to walk to the hall with a half-filled ladle of water.

"Are you going back?".

He asked in a weak voice.

Only then did my brother remember that there was a child younger than him next to him, so he looked at him with a smile and replied.

"Yes, grandpa came here to take me home. "

My brother's eyes were very firm, and his smile was full of anticipation. At this time, he became more and more curious about the home in his brother's mouth, what it looked like? He was desperately thinking about what his brother had described before, a big white dog, two black cows, a dozen sheep, two houses, one built at the foot of the mountain, and the other was built on a higher ground. He looked out the window, at the mountain behind his grandmother's house. A mountain was like a tall wall, enclosing the world in his eyes at this moment, and the scenery outside the wall had not been seen since he could remember. In my memory, there is only one way out of the mountain in the village, which extends from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, which is like a bright light, and you can see the world outside the wall when you follow it all the way to the top of the mountain. Is the house built on a higher ground in my brother's mouth just like the houses in this village near the top of the hill, where you can see the world outside the walls just a few steps?

He wanted his brother to take him home, but he didn't dare to speak. Until now, he had never been out of this village, and he was afraid that his grandmother would scold him if he said this, so he had to follow his brother sullenly with his head down.

The sun slowly shifted over the mountains behind the village, and the shadows of each house were pulled towards the foot of the mountain that looked like a sleeping giant turtle across from my grandmother's house. Light and shadow are separated by a stream leading to the river, and the side of the light is covered with verdant mountains, and the rice is like water with ripples carried by the wind. Smoke rose from the shadow's side, and sparse human voices came from the village, interspersed with a few barking dogs.

When it's time for dinner, there are some similar rules on the dinner table in many places, such as the host seat, the guest seat, etc., and my grandmother's house is not interested in these, and when it comes to the meal, both the host and the guest are sitting casually. Grandpa sat with his back to the stove, Grandma sat against the water tank, and next to Grandpa was an old man who was slightly younger than him, about the same age as his grandmother, and that person was his grandfather and his brother's grandfather. Grandpa is indeed younger than grandpa, grandpa's hair has obvious baldness, although the sparse hair is not gray, but the little black hair mixed in it is indeed not easy to see, coupled with the texture of grandpa's face, sitting at this dinner table is undoubtedly the oldest. On the other hand, my grandfather's hair is dirty because he doesn't take care of it often, but if you just look at the hair, he can be regarded as in the prime of life, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he doesn't even have a single black hair, and the only estimate that can highlight his age is the beard that is not often managed.

As for him, his brother and brother-in-law, the three of them were already squatting outside with bowls at this moment. In this place, the younger generation does not have the habit of eating at the dining table, most of them serve half a bowl of rice, and then sandwich half a bowl of vegetables, and then run to the yard, sit on the steps and eat while chatting about the children's whimsical ideas. Only the older generation will sit at the dinner table and eat and talk about their parents' shortcomings.

"In-laws, order more food." Grandma shouted

"It's not a foreign family, so you don't have to be so polite." "

"Alas, you see that you have come all the way, and we have nothing to entertain you. "

"Where are the in-laws?" "

"Jun and Mao, will their parents come back for the New Year this year?"

The grandfather on the side asked.

At the mention of his and his brother's parents, Grandpa put away the smile on his face and turned a little downcast.

"They don't expect to come back for the New Year this year. The sixth child in the family hasn't graduated yet, Jun is about to go to school, and the family has a big burden, so it's hard for them. "

Grandma half-bowed her head and put more vegetables in the bowl, and then got up.

"I'll go out and see if the three of them have dropped their food on the floor. "

After saying that, my grandmother went outside.

"Jun and Mao, their uncles and aunts, are they doing well this year?"

"It's not easy, a few of them are lazy, what kind of money can they make." It's good to be able to keep the New Year's fare back. Grandpa took a few bites of food, and then looked up at the window, with a light in his eyes, "Jun is better, but poor Mao, this child, I don't know what my parents look like, and we don't dare to mention his parents to him, for fear that he will ask why his parents don't come to see him, and we don't know how to answer." "

Outside, he, his brother and brother-in-law lined up, squatting on the steps and bowing their heads to pull rice. He likes this moment, holding a bowl and chopsticks in his hand, chewing rice in his mouth, being in the shadows, although it is still a little hot, but I don't know how much it is better than noon, and occasionally a gust of wind blows and can feel a little cool. Every day at this moment, he would squat here, or use his weak body to carry a wooden chair out and sit here, look at the opposite mountain with an admiring gaze, and rely on his young imagination to imagine the turtle-like mountain on the other side as a mountain god, a protective beast, or a magical creature, imagining that it was fighting a certain kind of monster to protect the village, or just to destroy the village, and he stood in front of the village as a hero to fight against it. In this era, many children use this method to pass the boring time like him.

In fact, being able to move a chair and sit at the door of the house and look at the opposite mountain, quietly watch the sunrise and sunset, such days are very pleasant at any time, and this comfort will become more and more precious with the gradual busyness in the years to come. In some cases, when the front of the house becomes a house number, the place where you can sit becomes a staircase made of concrete, when the mountain full of vegetation becomes a tall building, and the stream below the mountain becomes a flowing vehicle and crowd, this comfort becomes a luxury.

At this time, he would not understand, he only knew that it was very comfortable for him to sit in front of his house when dusk was approaching. In addition, for the infinite reverie of home, he was full of curiosity about the outside world at this time. He didn't think about leaving his grandmother's house, just pure curiosity, a desire for new things.

"Uncle, where does that road lead?"

He pulled the rice in the bowl and looked at his uncle expectantly.

In his memory, his grandmother has been taking him with him, and although his grandfather often can't see him, he just goes to the fields not far away, and his uncle has gone out because of his studies, so the answer he wants seems to be only his uncle can answer in his eyes. He pinned all his hopes on his uncle, hoping to learn from his uncle what the outside world was like, to understand the home he had never been to, and what kind of place it was.

"That way." The uncle looked into the distance, his eyes were empty, and then he turned his head and looked at him with a smile, "It's a long road, and there are many places to go." But you have to climb to the top of the mountain, then go downhill to the bottom of the hill to the first village, then climb to the top of the hill to the second village, and then go a little further on, and then go down the mountain, and so on through many villages, until you come to a three-way junction where there are cars passing by, and there are many different places to go. You can meet a lot of people, more people than in our village, and if you're lucky, you'll get to know some of them and become good playmates with them. "